One of my treasured LPs was from Chandos, ARBD 1156. It included a
beautiful performance by Timothy Hutchins playing Vivaldi’s RV444
piccolo concertos with a sopranino recorder. There are numerous versions of
this concerto to be had in this combination, such as the complete recorder
concertos compilation on Naxos 8.553829 (see review), or Dan Laurin on BIS-CD-865 with the Bach Collegium
Japan, now acclaimed for their Bach Cantata series with Masaaki Suzuki. I
would normally defend the flute against the recorder in terms of dynamic and
expressive potential, but in the case of these ‘piccolo’
concertos honours are about even. The sopranino recorder does a great deal
of the work in reaching pure tones in high registers simply by virtue of its
size. The same goes for the orchestral piccolo, but a degree or two more of
technical intervention from the player makes this the more demanding and
stressful of the two - though I have no doubt the recorder players will take
issue with this point of view.

Not that you would notice it particularly from the players on these
recordings. Jean-Louis Beaumadier is a piccolo hero of our times even more
today than when these recordings were made, and Philippe Pierlot is very
much an equal partner in the double concertos. Jean-Pierre Rampal made his
own Vivaldi recordings in the 1960s (see review), and the first four of these Saphir label concertos
originally appeared on Calliope CAL 5630. These pieces are more chamber
music than orchestral, and I’ve played Vivaldi concertos very
effectively with only a string quartet for accompaniment. I suspect Rampal
wouldn’t have had a huge amount to do as a conductor here, but despite
sounding just a little dated these performances, his experience and
musicianship still see these works coming up sounding pretty fresh. The
string sound is warm and carries vibrato, but with a harpsichord filling out
textures in the background and a decent balance between solo and orchestra
these are recordings which are for the most part light and easy on the ear.

As you would expect there is a shift in perspective with the last
two concertos, recorded 18 years or so later. The stereo image is wider and
the sound more transparent, but not so as to put the other recordings to
shame. In all cases the bouncy rhythms and energy in the outer movements are
entirely satisfactory, as is the expression in the slow central movements.
The only real question is if you prefer the straighter purity of the
sopranino recorder played by someone like Dan Laurin, or the more
‘fluty’ sound of these piccolos. I hadn’t been expecting
to be so keen on these piccolo performances, but on listening properly they
have grown on me each time I have returned to them. One or two very minor
technical blemishes reveal just how tricky these works are to perform to
perfection, but the emphasis here is virtuoso playing and musical expression
full of human warmth and Vivaldi’s sense of impish fun. If you were
ever wondering what a CD full of piccolo might be like, here is the very
place to find out.